Butterfly Kisses
by hannnarivers
Summary: Caleb Rivers had never dreamed that he would someday have a family of his own; a wife to love and cherish, and a beautiful daughter, a symbol of the love that he and Hanna shared. Isla Mae was everything that he'd ever wanted, and he hoped more than anything that he'd be able to give her the same in return. Post-7x20 Haleb, centred around Caleb and his daughter. Fourshot.
1. V Days

**So, this is going to be a fourshot based around Caleb's relationship with his bubba girl (I always thought that their first baby would be a girl, I don't know why), featuring Hanna, of course. The first chapter is set five days after she's been born, just under nine months after we left them in 7x20, so Hanna and Caleb are still living in the loft.**

 **A quick note – someone asked me how to pronounce Isla when I sent them a snippet of this chapter, so just for reference, it's** _ **eye-la**_ **(and her nickname, Islee, is pronounced** _ **eye-lee**_ **).**

 **Enjoy!**

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V Days

* * *

 _There's two things I know for sure:_

 _She was sent here from heaven and she's daddy's little girl._

…

 _Oh, with all that I've done wrong, I must have done something right,_

 _To deserve a hug every morning and butterfly kisses at night._

* * *

Sundays used to be a lazy day in the Rivers household.

But since the arrival of Isla Mae, that had changed; afternoons spent lounging around, watching movies and eating whatever they pleased, had been exchanged for diapers, crying, and desperately trying to get to grips with the entirely new experience that was parenthood.

Hanna and Caleb had only had four days of practice thus far; this was their fifth. They knew that they were far from mastering the act, but as Ashley had wisely informed them, nobody ever really got to that point, anyway.

Saturday had been spent shopping, searching for all of the bits that they'd forgotten, hadn't realised that they would need, or had run out of – they were going through diapers much faster than anticipated, much to Hanna's dismay. Sunday was turning out to be even more frantic despite the lack of outing; it was their first entire day at home on their own, without hospital staff, or visitors, or Ashley around to help them.

Caleb had worked on the baby's room a little, mostly just little bits here and there. They had tried to have everything ready before she was born, but then Hanna had started to get a little worked up towards the end of her pregnancy, and Caleb had taken her on an impromptu weekend away to help her unwind. Almost everything was finished, but there were a few wall hangings that Hanna was in love with that he still needed to nail up on the soft pink walls of their daughter's bedroom.

Hanna, meanwhile, had been desperately trying to juggle taking care of a newborn baby with answering incessant emails about the new clothing line that was supposed to be coming out with her name on it – maternity leave was just a myth in her eyes. It had barely been five days, and she was already working almost as much as she had been previously, but she figured that it would all be worth it in the end. She couldn't put the fashion world on hold to change a diaper, after all.

Caleb had, of course, made the whole thing a lot easier on her, doting on Isla whenever Hanna needed to take a call or just wanted a moment to herself, willingly pausing his DIY day to be with his favourite girls. He'd made them all breakfast, and lunch, and taken Isla for a walk around the block when she wouldn't stop crying after the sound of Caleb drilling a nail into the wall had gotten to be a little too much for her – sometimes he forgot for a split second that they had a newborn in the house and got a little careless.

He'd also finished his day of doting off with a flourish by making dinner for Hanna and himself; his signature pasta dish, and garlic bread, which had been Hanna's favourite food during her pregnancy – the craving certainly hadn't diminished, yet. They'd eaten in peace as Isla slept in her portable crib beside them; since they'd gotten home from the hospital, Hanna had been moving it to wherever they were in the house at the time, because she hated being away from her for any more than a second. Caleb guessed that it was a combination of first-time-mother nerves, and her unwillingness to let anything happen to their daughter after everything that had happened to her.

After their meal, the family had snuggled up on the couch to watch a movie together; Hanna's legs swung over Caleb's and her head resting against his shoulder, and Isla cuddled up against his chest, held by one of his arms. His other arm was wrapped around Hanna's back, his fingers alternating between drawing random patterns on her shoulder, and running through strands of her long hair.

They were watching _The Princess Diaries_ – definitely Hanna's choice – and Caleb had previously warned her that he might fall asleep during it. Hanna had simply laughed and rolled her eyes. But, halfway through the movie, when Caleb asked Hanna what time her mom was coming to visit the following day and received no reply, he looked down to find her sound asleep against his shoulder. He could hardly blame her, because he knew that _he_ was tired, and after having given birth only a couple of days previously, he imagined that the fatigue that she was experiencing was a thousand times worse.

Smiling down at the peaceful expression on her face, he stroked his thumb across her cheek before pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, his nose nuzzling through her hair once he'd done so. A tiny gurgle sounded through the air and interrupted the silence; Caleb felt a small stirring against his chest, and peered down at the baby in his arms to find that she was coming round from her slumber.

"Waking up just as your momma falls asleep, huh?" He murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to her head, just as he had with Hanna, "She'll be sad that she's missing out on these big beautiful eyes."

He was already obsessed with her mesmerising, bright blue orbs, which reminded him so much of Hanna's. They glistened full of hope, and he wanted nothing more than for the warmth and happiness and _life_ that they encompassed to stay within them forever. They, she, was a reminder that Hanna and Caleb finally had everything that they'd ever needed – a family, and a future to call their own.

Though Caleb was content with admiring her tiny features, her button nose and pouted lips and miniscule little fingers and toes, Isla wasn't of the same mind-set; a high-pitched cry sounded through the air and Caleb sighed, knowing exactly what it meant. "Ah, it's dinner time for you, right?" He spoke in a hushed voice, as if she was able to respond, "Wish _I_ could eat twelve meals a day." He rocked her gently in his arm as her cries increased in volume and pitch – Hanna was still sound asleep, thankfully, but she wouldn't be for long if Isla didn't get what she wanted. "Ok Islee, time to get some milk in that tiny belly."

Pulling his arm from around Hanna's back and carefully retrieving a cushion from beside her, he slid off of the couch, propping Hanna's head up with the pillow as he lowered her down onto the sofa. He smiled to himself at his handiwork, happy that Hanna was finally going to be able to get some well-deserved rest.

"So, where does mommy keep this milk huh?" He pondered to himself as he walked over to the fridge and scoured it, searching for the bottles of milk that Hanna had pumped earlier that day. She had given him a particularly long lecture about where they were going to keep anything and everything baby related, but the list had been so long that he may have forgotten a few of the things that she'd mentioned. "Aha," He congratulated himself as he located the bottles in a drawer at the bottom of the fridge, "Got 'em."

He turned the chosen bottle over in his hands a few times before looking down at Isla, then back up at the bottle. He'd never fed her alone before – she'd only been in the world for five days, and almost every single feed that she'd had up until that point had come straight from the source. Most of the others had been given to her in bottles by Ashley, who had jumped at the chance whenever Hanna wasn't around. Sure, he'd given her bottles once or twice, but Hanna had been there to prepare it, and to watch over him as he did it – not that she didn't trust him. He suddenly felt a little nervous at the thought of doing it alone.

"Ok," He murmured to himself, "So I'm guessing we've gotta warm this stuff up?" Isla made a small babbling noise in his arms and Caleb smiled down at her, "I'm taking that as a yes."

Making his way over to the sink, he adjusted Isla in his arms slightly so that her head was tucked up more securely against his body, and then reached out to turn the hot tap on. He held the bottle under it for a minute or so until it felt warm enough, and then wiped it off on a dishcloth. Isla's crying had quietened down a little, but she was still making small noises in his arms as she jerked her tiny arms about in protest.

Not wanting to wake Hanna up, he stayed in place in the kitchen, and brought the bottle down to Isla's heart-shaped lips. "Ok Islee, I know it's not the same as Mommy's boob, but you've gotta drink this for me," He muttured, desperately hoping that he was doing something, anything right. He'd read more parenting books than he cared to admit before she was born, but he still felt almost clueless when it came down to dealing with the real thing.

Isla gratefully latched onto the bottle as the tip passed by her lips, and Caleb grinned at his handiwork. He watched as she suckled for a moment before bringing it away so that she could take a breath – he had remembered Ashley mentioning something about that to Hanna. Isla gurgled, and happily swallowed down the liquid, before Caleb offered her some more. She seemed to be pausing all by herself this time, taking three or four gulps before she would swallow, tiny splutters of milk running down her chin.

Caleb couldn't stop smiling at the tiny baby in his arms; he never thought that he could be so enamoured by someone drinking, but here he was, completely unable to look away from his daughter as she had one of her evening feeds. He loved watching Hanna feed her, but there was something completely different about doing it himself – it was a whole new bonding experience.

As a kid, or a teenager, Caleb had never imagined wanting to started a family. He hated the word, the whole idea of being born into a group of people that were _supposed_ to love and support you for the rest of your life. It was just a myth to him, something so far out of reach, so completely opposite to his reality, that he couldn't fathom the idea of it ever being real. He almost despised anyone who had what he didn't, who was handed it on a plate the day that they were brought into the world. Why should they have a home, people to depend on, a _purpose_ , when he didn't?

But then he'd met Hanna, and his mind set had changed. Certainly not right away – when he'd originally been offered a 'room' in the Marin residence, his instinct had been to turn it down immediately. Why would he want to live alongside, what he had assumed would be, a perfect family? It would only serve to make him feel even worse about his situation. Why would he risk getting busted and someone calling social services, anyway? But the moment that Hanna had uttered the words 'my mom will never know', right before she'd handed him a scrunched up piece of paper with her address on it, something had clicked in his mind. Hanna had said 'mom'; not 'mom and dad', not 'parents'. Maybe her family wasn't so picture-perfect after all.

He'd agreed to stay, and never regretted it once. He'd come to realise that his first impressions of Hanna, and indeed her family, had been completely wrong. She wasn't some stuck-up beauty queen, void of any personality, and her family certainly wasn't anyone's idea of a fairy tale. But despite that, Hanna and her mom had taught him something that he'd never realised before – a family didn't have to be perfect. It didn't have to be the one you were born into, either. They had _become_ his family, Hanna especially, and had even helped him to find blood relatives of his own.

Despite the fact that he was now in contact with both his birth mother and father, Caleb had never seen anyone other than Hanna and Ashley Marin as his real family. They had taken him in when everybody else had refused to do so; Hanna had taught him how to love, how to _be_ loved. And now, their little family had a brand new member.

Even though she'd only been in the world for five days, it was hard for Caleb to remember a life before Isla. Looking down at her tiny, satisfied face as he fed her, he couldn't help but start to tear up a little. She was so innocent, so naïve and pure, so unaware of what was to come in her life, both good and bad. Caleb knew that he and Hanna would do everything that they could to give her the best life possible, but there would undoubtedly be some hurdles; in a way, he thought, they were almost more important than the good parts. He and Hanna would help her through them, help her to understand her place and purpose in the world, and give her all of the love and support that they had both been missing in one way or another as they had grown up themselves.

Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Caleb looked down to realise that Isla had stopped feeding – he must have been standing there for at least half an hour, he figured, given that that was usually how long she would breastfeed for. He put the almost empty bottle of milk down onto the kitchen counter and grabbed Isla's burping cloth from the back of the sofa, before sitting down on the spare couch cushion, next to where Hanna was sleeping.

"Please don't spit up all over me," He mumbled to himself, before throwing the cloth over his shoulder and then carefully lifting Isla up to it, making sure that her belly was pressed against him. He rubbed her back in slow circles, just as he had seen Hanna doing it. "That ok?" He asked in a high-pitched voice, to which he received a small burp from Isla in return. "Perfect," He smiled to himself proudly.

Five seconds later, a rush of warm liquid came flying out of Isla's mouth, and ran down the baby pink birthing cloth on Caleb's shoulder.

"Or, not so perfect," He rolled his eyes. Things had _almost_ gone exactly to plan.

Sighing, he stood up from the couch, and walked into his and Hanna's bedroom to throw the cloth into their laundry basket. "Mommy won't be happy about having to wash that twice in one day," He laughed down at the tiny baby in his arms, before walking back into the living room and looking over at Hanna.

She was still fast asleep, her legs now curled up to her chest, and her head resting in her hand. He smiled at the sight, unable to resist going over to press a kiss to her cheek as he cradled Isla tightly against his chest. "My girls," He murmured to no one in particular as he pulled away, checking that he hadn't woken Hanna up.

He turned to face the TV, which was still playing _The Princess Diaries_ , and reached out for the remote before turning it down a little. "We don't need the volume up, do we?" He whispered to Isla, "No we don't, because you can't understand it, and daddy can't understand why anyone would want to."

"Hey, don't talk about one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time like that," Came a groggy voice from behind him.

Caleb turned around to find a still half-asleep Hanna attempting to pull herself up into a seated position. "Hey," He smiled, "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok," She murmured, returning his smile, "I don't feel tired anymore, anyway. How long was I asleep?"

"Just under an hour," Caleb informed her, "Not long."

Hanna nodded, stretching her arms above her head before she spotted Isla cuddled up in Caleb's arms and grinned. "Has Islee been ok?" She asked, trying to get a good look at her as Caleb walked over to them.

"Amazing," He smiled fondly, "I fed her, by the way."

Hanna's grin immediately grew bigger, until it stretched from cheek to cheek. "I wish I could have seen it," She sighed dreamily, before pausing briefly, "Did she spit up on you?"

Caleb nodded and rolled his eyes; Hanna laughed.

"You want a drink?" He offered, knowing that Hanna's throat was usually dry when she woke up from a nap – not that she'd had many of them lately.

"I'm good," She shook her head, "But do we have any garlic bread?"

Caleb couldn't help but laugh at that – the cravings _definitely_ still hadn't gone away.

"Always," He chuckled, "Has there ever been a time when we haven't had at least ten garlic breads in the fridge since your first trimester?"

Hanna simply rolled her eyes at him and laughed, "Hey, it's not my fault. If post-baby belly still wants garlic bread, then that's what it's getting."

"Fine by me," He shrugged, before walking over to the kitchen and pulling a pre-prepared garlic bread from the fridge. "Ok," He murmured to himself as he placed it down on the countertop before looking down at Isla, who was still cuddled up in his arms, "I might have to leave you with Mommy so that I can cook her some garlic bread, that ok with you Islee?"

"Mmm, not yet," Came a familiar voice as Hanna walked over to them, before wrapping her arms around his waist from behind, "I wanna stand here and watch you hold her for a little longer."

"Yeah?" He murmured as her hand stroked over his abdomen.

"Yeah. It's pretty much my favourite thing to look at," She confirmed, "Ever."

Caleb didn't think that he'd ever felt more content than in that moment; Hanna cuddled up against his back, and his baby girl cuddled up in his arms. He had everything that he'd ever needed, even if he hadn't always known it. Hanna was more than just his wife, she was his best friend, his world – now he had another best friend, a new person to share his world with, a tiny, perfectly-formed symbol of his relationship with the love of his life. His love for Isla was indescribable, a love so powerful that he could never have imagined feeling anything like it, if it hadn't been for Hanna.

After they had found out that Hanna was pregnant, Caleb had worried a little that he wouldn't have enough love to give; that because he'd only been used to having his world revolve around Hanna, he wouldn't be good enough, strong enough, worthy enough, to look after a baby too. But, after just five days, he'd already proved himself wrong. He'd doted on both of them day in and day out, and had thoroughly enjoyed every single moment of it.

He didn't need anything else, now that he had his girls.

"You know what my favourite thing about her is?" He mused, breaking the silence as he lowered his head so that his lips could brush against Isla's fine wisps of dark hair.

"What?" Hanna smiled as she propped her chin up on his shoulder, her arms tightening around his waist.

Caleb slowly moved his thumb up to Isla's face as she babbled in his arms, before he gently traced the outline of the small indent in her cheek. "Her dimples," He murmured, "She has her mommy's dimples."

Hanna found herself blushing at his comment; she buried her face into his back, and failed miserably to hold back the wide grin that threatened to spread from cheek to cheek. "Her dimples, huh?"

"Yeah," He nodded, moving his free hand to rest on top of hers, intertwining their fingers, "Because every time she smiles, I'm reminded of you."

Hanna felt her face burn an even brighter shade of red, and laughed against him, "Stop making me blush," She chided him, "You can be so sappy sometimes."

"It's true," He shrugged, revelling in the fact that he still had such a profound effect on her.

Neither of them spoke for a few moments as Hanna moved her hand up to meet Caleb's, which was cradling the back of Isla's head. She stroked her fingers over the back of his, letting them linger there for a moment before they traced over her daughter's few fine hairs. "We have so much to look forward to now that she's here," She eventually murmured, breaking the silence.

 _Who was being sappy now?_ Caleb thought. But he decided not to tease her about it, because he secretly loved her emotional ramblings about their life together. She could put into words all of the wonderful things that they were both feeling better than he ever could.

"I can't wait," He answered honestly after a beat, his voice hushed.

"Her first words, her first steps, her first day at school," She sighed dreamily, "Her wedding day."

"Woah woah woah," Caleb interrupted, turning around to face her before taking a step back, "That escalated a little too quickly, I don't wanna be thinking about that yet."

"About what?" Hanna raised her eyebrows, chuckling to herself at Caleb's discomfort.

"Her wedding day," He mumbled, looking down at the tiny baby in his arms, "She's only five days old, I don't even wanna think about her turning one, let alone the day that she gets married."

Hanna laughed gently, before stepping forward to stroke the tip of her index finger against the soft skin of Isla's cheek, being careful not to wake her. "Ok," She smiled, "Deal. No more talking about her wedding day, for now."

"Good," Caleb murmured, looking up at Hanna and meeting her gaze before he looked back down at Isla, "I want her to stay tiny forever."

* * *

 **So that's part one – part two is coming very soon, and will based around Caleb and a five-year-old Isla… it also may or may not have been written by a very special guest author. Just let me know in a review if you'd like a preview of it! As always, reviews are very much appreciated x**


	2. V

**Thank you for the lovely reviews on chapter one, they really mean a lot! This fic is actually a collaboration between me and my wonderful friend Rach (rivershaleb on twitter), who is the brilliant mind behind this chapter – all credit for this one goes to her. It was her first time writing any kind of fic, and I think she did a pretty (very) amazing job.**

 **This chapter is centred around Caleb and a now five-year-old Isla.**

 **Enjoy!**

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V

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 _For butterfly kisses after bedtime prayer;_

 _sticking little white flowers all up in her hair;_

 _"Walk beside the pony, Daddy, it's my first ride."_

 _"I know the cake looks funny, Daddy, but I sure tried."_

* * *

Caleb was roused from his sleep by a gentle nudge, which had come from his wife as she'd crouched down beside their bed. He lifted his heavy lids as his eyes registered the early morning spring light splaying across the ruffled sheets that lay on top of him, only to be greeted by one of his favourite sights.

"Hi," Hanna leant forward, capturing Caleb's lips in a tender kiss, before pulling away so that she could see his whole face.

A warm smirk pulled at the corner of his lips, "Hi to you, too," He murmured, his voice even deeper than usual, laden with sleep.

"Natalie just called me to say that there's been some mix up with the fabrics for one of my dresses, so I have to go to in to sort it out with the team in Philly," Hanna explained as her hand came to rest on his cheek, her thumb stroking back and forth.

"Now?" He groaned as he took in the black and indigo blue jumpsuit that already adorned Hanna's slim figure, and the subtle make-up that she had already applied to her face. She was so beautiful to him, with or without make-up – she didn't need to try hard at all.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Hanna sighed, "I know we were going to take Isla out today but this can't wait." She averted her gaze, feeling guilty for ruining their plans - she had been really excited to spend the day with her family.

"Hey," Caleb murmured, regaining Hanna's attention, "It's fine, we'll just take her swimming another day," He reassured her as he sat up against the headboard, pulling Hanna up with him to sit on the edge of the bed. "Besides, it's been a while since it's just been me and her," He all but beamed as he thought about spending the entire day with his live wire, precious little girl, "We'll have one of our daddy-daughter days."

Hanna felt a warmth spreading through her chest at how much her husband adored their daughter, and how he had somehow exceeded her expectations of him as a father. "She'll love that," She smiled, "Anyway, I'd better get going or I'll be late."

"Text me when you get there?"

"Will do," She smiled, once again connecting their lips in a slightly deeper kiss as she buried her fingers in his short, scruffy hair. She pushed against his defined bare chest in order to stand, before turning on her heel to grab her classic black Saint Laurent bag, throwing her lipstick in and then closing it with the magnetic stud, "Love you."

"Bye babe, love you," He called out in reply. He would never get tired of checking his wife out as she strutted away.

 _God, he felt so lucky._

* * *

After drifting back to sleep, surrounded by the comforting smell that Hanna left everywhere she went, Caleb woke up again, this time to a gentle knocking on the bedroom door.

"Daddy?" Another knock followed, "Daddy, are you sleeping?" Whispered the sweetest voice.

"Yes, I'm sleeping," Caleb joked.

Before he knew it, the door had been flung open, and he was being bounced up and down as Isla's gleeful giggles permeated through the air whilst she jumped on the bed. "You're not sleeping, Daddy, you can't talk in your sleep!"

Caleb thought about seeing how long he could lie still for whilst she continued her constant jumping before she was drained all of energy and her little body collapsed next to his, amongst the sheets. But, at the same time, he knew that the longer he kept it up, the less time he would have to enjoy the day ahead.

Much to Isla's surprise, Caleb suddenly sprang to life, wrapping an arm around her waist and tickling her as she let out a squeal of pure happiness, "No! Daddy, stop!" She finally gave up her fight, and let him envelop her in a tight hug as she stretched her tiny body out on top of him. "See, I told you you were awake!" She exclaimed proudly.

"How do you know you didn't wake me up coming in here?" He retorted.

"I saw you peeking with your eyes!" She laughed knowingly.

"You got me, princess," He sighed, throwing his arms up in mock defeat, before moving forward to blow on the crook of her neck until it created a noise, and the girl in his arms began to wriggle around for the second time that morning.

"What was that called?" She giggled, smiling up at her dad.

"A raspberry. I blew a raspberry on your neck," He smirked.

"Where's mommy?" She turned onto her stomach to face Caleb, curious as to why her mommy wasn't next to him like she usually was in the mornings, "Is she downstairs?"

"Mommy had to go to work and fix something to do with her dresses, so it's just you and me today," He explained, soothingly running his fingers through her glossy dark locks of hair, which perfectly matched his, "That ok with you?"

"Mhm!" Isla nodded furiously. She was such a daddy's girl.

"Should we go and get some breakfast, and then decide what you wanna do today?" He asked, fixing her pink frilly pyjamas and propping her on his hip, before they made their way downstairs to the kitchen, where Caleb sat Isla down on the edge of the counter.

"FROOPS! FROOPS! FROOPS!"

"You want Froot Loops, huh?" Caleb raised his eyebrows, "Do you think mommy will shout at daddy for giving you Froot Loops?"

"Nope. Mommy says she doesn't like being mad at you," She paused, "She says it makes her sad," Isla murmured whilst distracted by the sugary goodness in the bowl that Caleb had just poured for her.

"It makes daddy sad too, and he doesn't like being mad at mommy either," He placed a soft kiss on her cheek, "But nobody's mad, are they?"

"We happy!" Isla yelled whilst Caleb brushed a few wisps of hair away from her face, before he poured a bowl of cereal for himself and added a large glug of milk to both.

"Let's go eat, missy," He encouraged her to hop down from her position on the counter, and then followed her through to the living room, where she grabbed the TV remote and started to hunt through the channels before settling on an episode of _Angelina Ballerina_. She pulled herself up onto the grey suede couch with little struggle, and shuffled backwards so that she was leaning comfortably against Caleb's chest. He passed her the plastic bowl, and she began shovelling her breakfast into her mouth, inspecting the array of colours in each spoonful before they quickly disappeared.

Soon enough, Caleb peered down to see a trail of milk running all the way down her chin – she was clearly absorbed in what was happening on the TV. Feeling his gaze on her, she tilted her head up so that Caleb could see her mischievous grin, and crystal blue eyes, which were staring straight back into his chocolate brown ones.

The little girl let out a cheeky laugh, realising that she had been caught as her Daddy laughed along with her. "Islee, you've got more round your mouth than you've eaten," Caleb shook his head in amusement whilst using the pad of his thumb to clean her up, before she held the bowl out for him to take, "You finished?"

She nodded, a wide smile still on her face as Caleb reached out to place both of their bowls on the oak coffee table in front of them. Every time he looked at her, he couldn't help but notice that, with the exception of her smooth dark hair, all of her features looked precisely like Hanna's; the bright blue eyes, the fair complexion, and those small indents in her soft cheeks that he had fallen in love with the moment he had first seen her – he had done so again and again many times since, and hoped that they would never fade.

His girls were simply perfect.

* * *

The two of them sat there for a little while longer in a comfortable silence, Isla curled up into Caleb's side as he absentmindedly drew invisible circles on the skin where her pyjama top had ridden up, exposing a section of her belly. If he never moved from his current position again, he didn't think that he would mind.

Once the next episode had come to an end, Caleb ushered Isla up the stairs to go and get dressed. They entered her bedroom – white paint coating three walls and the fourth, a hot pink accent wall. Caleb approached the closet and pushed through an overwhelming abundance of clothes for someone so young to have acquired, clueless as to where to begin. "Um, how about this?" He raised a random top, "With this skirt?"

"Daddy, that doesn't go!" Isla squealed.

"Why not? I'm sure you've worn this before," He questioned innocently.

"Because stripes and flowers look silly together," She sighed, dramatically rolling her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

She really was her mother's daughter.

"Oh, right. Yeah of course they do," Caleb murmured – the man had absolutely no idea.

Deciding that it was time to take action, Isla moved over to her closet and considered her options. She tugged on the bottom of some acid wash blue dungarees, which fell on top of her head, knocking her off balance in the process. Caleb bit his lower lip in order to supress a titter that threatened to escape his throat as she picked herself up and frowned at her Daddy, before tugging the striped t-shirt out of his grasp.

Caleb left his ever-growing independent daughter to dress herself, as agreed, whilst he went to get himself ready for the day, throwing on a pair of fitted blue jeans and a white sweatshirt, which modestly accentuated his muscular frame. Hanna always loved how he looked in sweatshirts, and Isla seemed to love them even more because it gave her another excuse to cuddle up to her daddy. He lightly tousled his hair until he was satisfied with the slightly messy look that he usually went for on his days off, before he made his way back to Isla's bedroom to check on her.

Caleb subtly scratched at the skin beside his mouth in order to hide the smirk etched on his face as he watched Isla battle with the clasp on the second strap of her dungarees – no matter how much she told him that she was a big girl and could do things on her own, he knew that she would always need him, even if it was just for the little things.

"Need a hand, Islee?" Caleb asked gently.

"I got it," She insisted.

Caleb propped himself against the door frame and continued to watch her in adoration. She was stubborn, just like Hanna, but she was becoming her own person and he loved her for it.

Isla eventually accepted defeat and slumped down into a heap on the carpet, crossing her arms in frustration. _Why couldn't she do it?_ Tears began to fill her eyes as her anger dissolved into sadness, and Caleb rushed towards her, noticing her upset.

"Hey, hey, hey," He scooped her up onto his lap, where she flung her small arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. "Come here, it's ok," He told her as she continued to cry, "It's ok, we can try again." Caleb proceeded to smooth her hair down in long strokes as her sobs began to dissipate and she calmed down, the occasional sound of a sad hiccup filling the otherwise silent room.

One thing that never failed to break Caleb's heart was seeing his little girl upset, and he wanted nothing more than to take that pain away from her, no matter how insignificant it was. He gently rocked their bodies from left to right, whispering 'shh' over and over in the hope that the soothing motion would somewhat relax her. Eventually, he pulled her head away from his shoulder to wipe the remaining tears from her red eyes. "How about we put something else on instead, huh?" He suggested.

She replied with a weak shrug as she stuck bottom lip out, and Caleb took hold of her hand, leading her through to the playroom. "This one's your favourite, isn't it?" He asked, retrieving her pink ballerina tutu and leotard from the relatively small dressing up box.

"Uh-huh!" The brunette perked up almost instantly at the sight of the pastel mesh fabric in front of her.

"C'mon then," Caleb encouraged her to step into the outfit after discarding her previous one somewhere on the floor. "Wow, you are _definitely_ the prettiest ballerina I've ever seen!"

"I'm a _fairy princess_ ballerina," Isla corrected him as she pulled a silver tiara and matching wand out from the box. She skipped over to the mirror to catch a glimpse of her reflection and spun around in a circle, her tutu flailing as she did so, all thoughts of her recent tears forgotten.

"Your turn daddy!" She informed him as she rummaged around the room in order to find something for him to put on.

"Me?" He raised his eyebrows, "But I already have clothes on."

"You can be my cowboy prince," She announced, completely ignoring his comment as she tried to get Caleb to bend down so that she could place the cowboy hat, which he had worn for Halloween last year, on his head. He complied, seeing the sparkle in her eyes as her imagination began to whirl.

"A cowboy prince? Why not just a normal prince?" Caleb hoisted her onto his back and she wrapped her legs around his torso. "Hold on tight," He instructed before he pushed himself up off of the floor, before galloping out of the room and down the stairs. He did a lap of the kitchen island first, and then circled the larger couch in the living room, which prompted Isla to erupt into a fit of laughter.

"Cos Lewis said dey bigger and braver than normal ones," She answered his question. Caleb dropped her onto the plush couch, sat down beside her, and then perched her on his lap so that they were facing one another.

"Oh, I see," He nodded, tucking a rogue strand of hair behind her ear as he felt his heart double in size at the implication behind her words – she saw her daddy as her prince, her protector.

She would never know how much that one, simple remark had meant to him.

"But Lewis isn't a cowboy prince, he's just my normal prince," She added with a shrug.

"Who's Lewis?"

"He sits on my table at school," Isla explained, distracted by the sleeve of Caleb's sweatshirt.

"Is Lewis your boyfriend?" Caleb laughed – in all honesty, he didn't want to know the answer.

She nodded casually, "He gived me a kiss here," She pointed to her cheek, "But it was yucky."

"Good, because daddy is the only one who can give you kisses," He reminded her, suddenly feeling very protective of his little girl, "Deal?"

"Deal!" She agreed, before jumping off of his legs so that she could tug on his hands in order to get him to stand up too, "Ugh," She let out an exasperated grunt when her attempt failed and Caleb remained seated. "Come on!" She berated him, continuing to pull on his arm with all of her might until she succeeded.

"What are you up to now, missy?" He breathed out as she dragged him over to their speaker, which Hanna's iPod was already connected to, and hit shuffle on her music. Katy Perry's 'Unconditionally' started to play, and Caleb, still hand-in-hand with Isla, spun her around in a circle multiple times until she became almost drunkenly dizzy. She reached out and clung onto the backs of Caleb's legs in order to keep herself steady as the world slowed down and her head stopped spinning.

"Woah, careful Islee," He smiled, "Stand on my feet so you don't fall over." Caleb helped her as she unwrapped herself from him and gripped onto his jeans at a point a little higher up – he rested one had on her upper back and tangled the other in her hair.

When Caleb was with her, he always felt an undying sense of joy, as though life was just that little bit brighter in her presence – there was absolutely nothing in the world that he loved more than his little family. Ten years ago, he never would have imagined his life turning out the way that it had; with the most beautiful, giving and caring women agreeing to spend her life with him, and then the two of them having the most precious, amazing child together, whilst living in a house that they could call their own.

As they continued to sway in unison, Isla still resting all her weight on Caleb's feet, he couldn't help but think back to the painful memories of his own childhood. Isla wasn't much younger than he was when his mom had left him, never to return, and looking down at his little girl, he made a promise to himself that he had already made a million times over – he would make sure that she would never experience anything remotely close to the hurt that he had felt for so many years.

He knew, he just _knew_ ,that no matter what, he would never be able to leave either of his girls. They had literally changed his life; Hanna had changed his life. She had given him a home, both physically and metaphorically, and since then, hadn't stopped giving.

But above all, the one thing that he was forever indebted to Hanna for, was giving him a family; the family that he would've done anything for during the empty years of his younger life. It all seemed like a distant nightmare to him now, and whenever he felt a cruel sting caused by the pain of his past overcoming him, all he had to do was remind himself of how far he had come.

The wound was healed, but the scar would never completely fade.

A soft shaking pulled him from his reverie, "Daddy, what's wrong?" Isla's voice was a whisper, so quiet that Caleb almost missed it.

"Huh? I'm fine," He shook his head.

"Then why are you crying?" She was confused – she had never seen her usually lively daddy so withdrawn. It had taken Caleb until now to realise that tears had begun to pool in his eyes, and leaked down his face, due to the feelings that moments like these stirred up in him; they were feelings that he tried to push to the back of his mind, but somehow they managed to creep back to the forefront every once in a while.

Caleb bent down to press his lips against Isla's forehead as she peered up at him expectantly. He didn't stop their movements as they music went on, "I was just thinking about how much I love you and mommy, that's all," He mumbled, his voice hoarse from the tears. "And I love you a lot, don't I?" He swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat.

"This much!" Isla threw her arms out as wide as possible, before returning her hands to their previous positions on his legs, a bright smile playing upon her angelic face.

"That much, and so much more," Caleb murmured, each word drowning in emotion. He then cleared his throat, not wanting to dampen the mood of their day together, and lifted Isla up so that their eyes were level with one another's. "Hey, how about we go get some ice cream before mommy comes home?"

"Yeah," Isla squealed as she fought to be put down, "Ice cream!" She finished, running hurriedly towards the front door.

"Do you not wanna get changed first?" He chuckled at her eagerness as she shook her head 'no'. "Ok then, but you do need to put some shoes on, you can't go out with bare feet," He warned.

Isla huffed but did as she was told, sitting down on the bottom step of the staircase so that Caleb could put her white high-top converse on for her. She had decided that this wasn't a battle she was willing to fight; she really wanted that ice cream.

* * *

After their little dance session earlier in the day, Isla had insisted on walking on Caleb's feet the majority of the way to the ice cream shop, before she had jumped off and sped away to get a head start on choosing her flavour as they approached _Lucky Leon's Cupcakes_.

They both finished up their ice creams in no time at all and began their journey home, Isla hopping back in front of Caleb. "My feet are going to be sore by the end of the day if we keep doing this," He mumbled, maintaining a firm grip on Isla's hands, her arms raised above her head.

"But it's funner than normal walking," She countered. Caleb was secretly loving how much she was enjoying herself, and he definitely wasn't complaining about hearing her adorable giggle every time he changed his pace in order to catch her off guard.

The pair continued their walk around Rosewood, taking their time by choosing the long route back home as they soaked up each other's company, their laughter rarely subsiding, until Caleb brought them to a stop on the pavement.

"Daddy this isn't home, what we doin' here?" Isla pondered.

"Look up there." He crouched down, and pulled her to stand between his bent knees whilst he pointed towards the first floor of the building on the opposite side of the street, "You see those windows, right there?" He spoke gently next to her ear.

"Yep," She stepped further back, so that her back was pressed against his chest.

"Well, that used to be mine and mommy's home," Caleb informed her.

"When?" She turned her head towards him, a little confused.

Caleb smiled at her expression. "Before we had you and moved to where we live now," He explained as he snaked his arm around her waist even tighter.

"So, you didn't always live at our home?"

"Nope," He shook his head once, "When we found out you were in mommy's tummy, we decided we needed more room, so that we would have space for you."

Caleb found himself smiling as his mind wandered back to the memories that he and Hanna had made behind those very windows. In that loft, they had found their way back to each other, they had made up for everything that they had missed out on during their time apart, he had proposed to her, they had progressed in their careers, seen each other fail and succeed, and they had made the life that he was currently holding in his arms. But no matter what they had done behind those windows, they had done it together.

"Oh! But now we have big house!" Isla concluded as she processed Caleb's words.

"That's right, we do," Caleb agreed, "But that house was very special to mommy and I, even if it was smaller."

After a short silence, Isla prompted him to stand, "Can I go on your feet again, pleeeease?"

"Hop on," He motioned; Isla resumed her previous position, before Caleb walked them all the way home without stopping.

* * *

Hanna returned home from work later that afternoon to a sight that never failed to melt her heart.

Her husband and her daughter, asleep, cuddled up under a blanket.

She retrieved her phone from her bag in order to snap a quick photo before they woke up, and made a mental note to upload it to Instagram later. She had never found Caleb more attractive than she did when he was looking after their little girl.

For the second time that day, Caleb woke up to find his wife beside him. Hanna leant against the back of the couch, with her chin resting on her crossed arms, "How was everything at work?" He asked, remaining exactly where he was.

"Good. It's all sorted now," Hanna smiled, "Did you two have fun today?"

"We did," He stretched up in order to rub Hanna's arm, "But I think this one tired herself out." The two of them turned their attention to Isla, who was still sleeping peacefully next to Caleb.

"You mean _you_ tired her out," Hanna raised her eyebrows, giving him a pointed look.

"We may have played dress up and then gone out for ice cream," He admitted cautiously, unsure of how she would react to the ice cream confession.

"Well I can see that," She rolled her eyes, "But where's your costume?"

"Oh. I was a prince," He let out a laugh, "My hat's round here, somewhere," He added, his eyes scanning over the mess that they'd created in the living room.

"A hat? For a prince?"

"I wasn't just any prince, I was a cowboy prince," Caleb's mind ran back to the words that Isla had spoken earlier that day, and Hanna instantly noticed his shift in mood.

She moved around the couch to perch on the coffee table, so that she could be closer to them both, and waited for a beat in order to think about her to phrase her next words. "You're an amazing dad, Caleb, and I know that everything you've been through has only made you a better one. You know exactly what she needs, and every single day you give her that and more besides. She thinks the world of you," She rested her forehead against his, "And I do, too"

"She's so perfect," He whispered, and Hanna closed her eyes to take in the moment.

"Did you know that she has a boyfriend?" He changed the subject swiftly in order to hide the fact that he was getting emotional; Hanna knew that there would always be a small part of him that would struggle to comprehend her previous words, no matter how true they were. She just wished that he could see what a great job he was doing, and how much she appreciated everything that he did for their family. He sniffled to remove any evidence of tears.

"Lewis? Yeah," Hanna smiled, stroking his arm up and down.

"She's getting too big," He sighed.

"It's pre-k, Caleb. It's not like she's going to get married and run off into the sunset just yet," She laughed at his serious demeanour, her forehead still resting against his.

He didn't even want to think about his baby girl growing up and getting a boyfriend.

"I know. But for now… I just want to make the most of her like this."

* * *

 **Hope you all enjoyed the chapter – the next one will revolve around Caleb and a fifteen-year-old Isla. Let me know in a review if you'd like a preview, and as always, reviews are very much appreciated x**


	3. XV

**Thank you from both Rach and I for the reviews on the last chapter! This one was written by me, and chapter four, the final chapter, will be written by Rach.**

 **Isla is now fifteen, and dealing a few issues that her dad might just be able to relate to.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

XV

* * *

 _She's looking like her mama a little more everyday_

 _One part woman, the other part girl._

 _To perfume and make-up from ribbons and curls_

 _Trying her wings out in a great big world._

* * *

It was seven o'clock in the evening when the door to the Rivers household slammed shut, and Isla walked in. Caleb smiled at the thought of her being in the safety of their home – no matter how old she was, he would always worry about her when she was out and about on her own.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" Caleb mumbled, before realising that he'd stopped talking mid-sentence, "Yeah, I'm fine, Islee just got home, that's all," He informed Hanna, who was listening intently on the other side of their phone call. "How's your mom?"

Hanna exhaled loudly, "She's fine," She confirmed, "But she has the flu, so I'm gonna stay for a couple of hours and make her some food."

Caleb smiled at his wife's kindness, "So basically you're her babysitter?" He chuckled.

He could practically hear Hanna rolling her eyes.

"No," She retorted, "I'm being a good daughter. My mom did so much for me as a kid, and as an adult, it's the least I could do, Caleb."

"I know, I'm just kidding," He laughed, softly, before looking around the room for Isla. He'd heard the door close at least thirty seconds previously, why hadn't she come to say 'hi' to him yet? It was always the first thing that she did when she got home.

"Anyway, I've gotta go, mom wants a hot chocolate," Hanna mumbled, lowering her voice so that Ashley didn't hear her, "I'll be back at ten, at the latest."

"Ok," He agreed, "Love you."

"Love you too."

Caleb hung up the phone, smiling to himself at Hanna's words. No matter how many times they said 'I love you' each other, the phrase never failed to make his heart beat that little bit faster. Pushing his cell into his pocket, he stood up from the couch and stretched his arms up into the air. "Isla?" He called out, curious as to why he hadn't seen his daughter since she'd entered the house, "You upstairs?"

"I'm here," Came a small mumble from the bottom of the stairs – Caleb immediately walked out of the living room and into the hall, only to find his daughter leaning against the wall, her face buried in her hands.

"Hey, what's-" He stopped immediately when he heard her snivel, "Isla?" He took another step towards her, and placed his hand on her shoulder, which prompted her to look up at him – her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks were bright red, and she had fat tears streaming down both of her cheeks. Without a single word, Caleb reached out and pulled her into a hug.

She cried against his shirt for a good ten minutes before her whimpers died down, and Caleb dared to speak. "You want to talk about it?" He asked tentatively, not knowing exactly what to say. He'd never seen his daughter _this_ upset before, not even when Hanna had threatened to take away her internet privileges after she'd 'borrowed' one of her mom's favourite bags without asking, and failed to bring it home after a party.

Isla simply shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Islee," He began, "Please t-"

But before he could get the words out, Isla was already out of sight, halfway up the stairs, presumably on the way to her bedroom. Her cries had returned, even louder than before, and Caleb let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his forehead.

This was _definitely_ Hanna's forte.

As he decided what best to do in his current situation, his phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out, only to be greeted by a text from Hanna.

 _Mom's asleep, I'll be back in an hour or less… how's Islee? xx_

Caleb bit him bottom lip as he typed out his response.

 _Not good – she came home in tears. Don't know what she's upset about though. She's in her room, do I go up there or leave her alone?_

Hanna's reply was instantaneous.

 _GO UP THERE! I'll be home in twenty xx_

After letting out a small laugh – he _knew_ that's what she would say – and stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Caleb ambled up the stairs to his daughter's bedroom. He didn't have that much experience when it came to talking to teenage girls about their problems, but what he did have, he had gained from Hanna; her problems had undoubtedly been completely different to their daughter's, because he was sure that Isla wasn't being stalked, or tortured, but it was experience all the same. Maybe that would be his saving grace.

"Islee?" He spoke softly as he knocked on her door twice, "Can I come in?"

Her whimpers stopped abruptly at his words, and she paused for a moment before replying. "Where's mom?" Came her sad, much quieter than usual voice.

"She's at your nana's house," He informed her, "I know you probably want to talk to her right now, because she's better at this kind of stuff, but I'm here for you too."

He heard Isla suck in a breath before she spoke again, this time with a hint of humour in her voice, "But you don't know _anything_ about boys."

At that, Caleb opened the door and poked his head around it, before stepping into the room. "Hey," He chuckled as he took in the sight of his daughter, who was now sitting cross-legged on her bed, "I was a teenage boy once, I might know more than you think."

Isla's expression turned serious once again, and she looked down at her lap, fumbling with her hands as she pressed her lips into a tight line; her dimples were on display as a result, and Caleb couldn't help but smile. She looked so much like Hanna whenever she did that.

"If you know so much about boys, then tell me why he dumped me," She mumbled biting her lip in an attempt to stop herself from crying again; it was to no avail, as a single tear slipped down her reddened cheek.

Caleb let out a sigh and sat down on Isla's bed next to her, before reaching out to put his hand on her arm. "Who dumped you?" He asked her, a slight hint of annoyance in his voice, though it definitely wasn't directed at her, "Are you talking about Lewis?" He enquired – Lewis was the only boy that he was aware of his daughter being close to.

"Yeah," She breathed out, shakily, "Lewis. We were sort of, dating, a little bit." She looked up at her dad with wide eyes, nervous to see his reaction. He'd always been very protective, but never in a bad way – she knew that it was only because he wanted the best for her.

"Dating?" He raised his eyebrows, "Fifteen-year-olds date now?"

"You were like sixteen when you started dating mom," Isla rolled her eyes, "Don't be a hypocrite."

"Sorry," Caleb chuckled, holding his hands up in defeat, "I guess it's just hard for me to believe that you're at an age where you want to date people. How long have you and Lewis been… together? The last time I saw him, you were friends."

"Like six months," She shrugged, nonchalantly, "But we're not, together. Not anymore. Because he dumped me," She finished with a sad smile, before her bottom lip started to quiver.

Caleb wrapped his arm around Isla's back, and pulled her into him until her head was resting on his shoulder. "What happened?" He asked gently, "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," Isla sniffed as a fresh batch of tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Ok we-"

"But yeah," Caleb was interrupted as Isla quickly changed her mind; she was just like Hanna in that way. She was so stubborn and defensive when she was upset, no matter how she was feeling underneath the façade. But eventually, the façade would always slip away. "He was spending way too much time with his friends, I barely ever saw him," Caleb made a noise of understanding, signalling for her to continue, "So I told him that I was upset, and he told me to stop trying to control him and walked out," She finished before choking out a sob, at which Caleb scrunched his eyes shut – just like with Hanna, he couldn't stand to see his daughter cry.

"Isla, that doesn't mean that he's finished with you," He tried to comfort her, "It's just an argument. Why don't you call him and talk to him about it?"

"You don't think I haven't tried?" She retorted, "He isn't answering any of my calls, or my texts. Or my emails."

"You emailed him?" Caleb asked with a slight chuckle, "Really?"

"Don't laugh," Isla scolded him as she sat up, though there was a slight smirk playing upon her lips, "I'm desperate, it isn't funny."

Caleb rolled his eyes, "You're not desperate, you could have anybody you wanted Islee, you're only fifteen."

"Don't patronise me," She shot back, "You and mom-"

"I know, I'm sorry," He apologised, rubbing her arm up and down, "You know I didn't mean it like that, I just mean that you have a lot of time to find the right person. You don't need to rush anything."

Isla swallowed loudly before another tear slipped down her cheek, "I want Lewis, though," She mumbled, a little embarrassed, "I just have this feeling, you know, that he's the person I'm supposed to be with. Did you feel like that with mom?" She asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Caleb wanted to say no, to tell his daughter that she had the whole world to explore, thousands and thousands of new people to meet, that she didn't have to focus on this one person. But he couldn't lie. He knew _exactly_ how she felt. Maybe it wasn't the same for everyone, but the moment he'd met Hanna, he'd felt an inexplicable and unbreakable connection to her.

"Yeah," He breathed out, meeting Isla's gaze, "I did." He paused for a moment before speaking again, "And you know what? Your mom and I went though a lot, so much that you can't even imagine it, and we came out the other side just fine. You and Lewis will sort this out, I promise."

Isla nodded in understanding, "Did you and mom ever break up?"

Caleb let out a short laugh, "A bunch of times," He confirmed, "And they were bad breakups, too. One lasted for three years, we were living in different states. But here we are."

Isla pursed her lips, a little apprehensive about bringing up the topic that she so desperately wanted to. "Were they because of that stalker?" She asked quietly, "I mean, is that why you broke up?"

"Only one of the times," Caleb spoke before clearing his throat, memories that he wasn't at all fond of coming back to the forefront of his mind, "The rest were all because of us, or choices we made, or things we needed to do. But we grew, and we moved past our issues. The stalkers definitely didn't help, though," He finished with a sad smile.

"Stalkers?" Isla questioned as she sat up straighter, and turned to face Caleb, "There was more than one?"

"Three, actually," Caleb nodded, "And they made our life hell, for years. I won't go into detail, because I know don't know how much your mom wants you to know yet, but she went through a lot. And if she can get past that, then you can get past anything," He smiled, nudging her arm with his, "Ok?"

"Ok," Isla nodded before she laughed, "My problem seems kinda stupid in comparison to what you and mom had to deal with."

"It's not stupid, I'm glad you don't have the kind of problems that we did," Caleb assured her, "If it upsets you, then it's important."

"But it shouldn't upset me," She shrugged, "It's just a fight. I wish I was as brave as mom, she'd never cry over something like this."

Caleb licked his lips thoughtfully. "Your mom _is_ brave, the bravest person I know," He confirmed, "But she cries too, over lots of things. She's cried over me, and over her friends, and over the groceries when she forgot to buy her favourite ice cream," He chuckled, prompting a laugh from Isla, "You can cry and still be brave."

"Good," Isla smiled, before leaning her head back down onto her dad's shoulder, "Because that's what I want. I want to be just like mom."

"Even though she cries over groceries?" Caleb joked.

"Even though she cries over groceries," Isla confirmed. She paused for a moment before she spoke again, "Do you have any photos? Of you and mom, when you were younger?"

Caleb smiled, thinking of the millions of times that Hanna had 'forced' him into taking photos with her, even though he'd secretly enjoyed it. "Yeah," He nodded, "Why?"

"Can I see them?" Isla asked tentatively. "You've told me so much about how you met, and what you've been through, but I've barely seen any photos or videos of you from back then. I think it'll make me feel better about Lewis, if I can see the mom and dad that I know as people who were just like me."

At that, Caleb reached into his pocket, and pulled out his phone. He opened his photos, and scrolled to the bottom until he found the albums that he was looking for – one labelled 'HS', and one labelled, 'NY'. "Here," He smiled as he passed the phone to his daughter, "Look through the last two albums."

"HS and NY?" She asked, her brow furrowed, "What do they mean?"

"High school and New York," He informed her, before selecting the 'HS' album himself.

Isla nodded in understanding, and looked down at the phone as she flicked through the photos. She smiled at the sight of her parents when they were seventeen, laughing and posing together in numerous 'selfies' – though admittedly, there was one in which they were kissing that she grimaced at and moved on from very quickly. She stopped on one particular photo, which caught her eye immediately; it was of Hanna leaning against Caleb's back, her arms wrapped around him as she grinned widely, her bright smile mirroring his. They looked so genuinely joyful, so in love, that Isla couldn't help but feel a little emotional at the sight.

"I like this one," She told her dad, "You both look so happy."

A smile tugged at the corner of Caleb's lips as he thought back to the day that he and Hanna had taken that photo, or rather, had it taken of them. It was the summer before their senior year, and they'd gone out for the day with Ashley; it had originally been planned as a shopping trip for the two girls, but then Hanna had insisted that Caleb should join them, and Ashley had happily agreed. On the way home, they'd stopped for an ice cream in the park, and sat down on the grass to enjoy them – aside from Ashley, who refused to get stains on her white dress.

When Ashley had asked for a picture, Hanna had immediately jumped up and onto Caleb's back, and they'd both fallen forward in fits of laughter as the photo had been taken. The single photo had led to what he'd described as a 'full-on photo shoot' – not that he'd minded, because the smile on Hanna's face throughout the entire thing was enough to breathe life into him for the whole day.

"Yeah," He eventually smiled, "I like it too."

Isla carried on scrolling, until she reached the end of the album, and then moved on to the one titled 'NY'. This time, she stopped on a photo of Hanna sitting cross-legged on the floor, her head in her hands, and five brown paper bags surrounding her. "What happened in this one?" Isla laughed as she looked to her dad for more information.

Caleb furrowed his brow for a second before he realised when it had been taken. "That, is the infamous grocery day," He laughed, "I forgot almost forgot how dramatic she was."

"She was really crying like that over ice cream?" She smirked, " _Ice cream_?"

"Ok, that was one time, and you promised you'd never tell anyone."

Caleb and Isla both looked up immediately as the sound of Hanna's amused – if slightly annoyed – voice filled the room.

"Hi," He smiled warmly at Hanna as he noted the pout that adorned her lips, "We were just kidding, I was telling Islee some stories to cheer her up." He held his arms out for her and she walked towards him, before sitting down on his lap and pecking his cheek.

"You're forgiven," She smirked, turning to Isla, "Are you okay baby? Your dad said you were upset when you got home." She reached out to stroke her cheek, and Isla smiled in response.

"I'm fine," She nodded, "Dad sorted it all out."

"Really?" Hanna raised an eyebrow as she turned her head to look at Caleb.

He nodded, "Yeah, I think I did a pretty good job. We were just looking through some old photos when you walked in," He informed her, before holding out his phone so that she could see the photo that Isla had stopped on.

"Oh my god," Hanna laughed, taking the phone from her husband, "I can't believe you still have this. I didn't even know you took a photo!"

"It was funny," Caleb shrugged, "I had to."

Hanna slapped his arm lightly as Isla laughed beside them, "Me crying is funny to you?" She raised an eyebrow at him.

"No," He shook his head, chuckling, "Only when it's over ice cream."

Hanna let out a long sigh, fuelled by her laughter, before turning to look at her daughter, who had gone back to scrolling through the photos on her dad's phone. "Wow, I didn't realise you'd be so interested in looking at old photos of us," She spoke softly, brushing a strand of dark hair back from Isla's face, "I thought you found stories about us when we were teenagers boring?"

"No," Isla retorted, looking up at her mom, "I like hearing about you two. I only find it boring when there's kissing and stuff involved. You can keep those ones to yourselves." Hanna and Caleb both looked at each other and let out a laugh, before Isla held the phone up for them to see. "This is my favourite one," She declared, showing them the photo that she had asked Caleb about earlier, from their shopping trip with Ashley all those years ago.

Hanna smiled the instant that she saw it, and looked up at Caleb. "That _was_ a pretty great day," She murmured, before leaning up to press a quick kiss to his mouth.

"Ok," Isla interrupted, "This is the kind of stuff that I was talking about. I don't want to see you guys making out on my bed," She grimaced.

"We were hardly making out," Caleb laughed, "It was one kiss."

"Yeah, and I could see more coming," Isla rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's leave her alone," Hanna chuckled as she stood up from Caleb's lap, before holding her hand out for him, "I think she's had enough of us for one day, especially you," She joked.

"Hey," Caleb retorted, "We had a good talk," He smiled, looking back at his daughter.

She nodded, confirming to Hanna that Caleb had indeed solved her problem. "Thanks dad," She said sincerely, "You really helped me today."

Caleb gave her a quick nod in return before he and Hanna left Isla's room, hand in hand, feeling content about the fact that their daughter was no longer upset. As they walked back downstairs, and reached the landing, Hanna tugged lightly on Caleb's arm so that he turned to face her.

"Why was she upset?" She asked him, raising her eyebrow, "Was it her math teacher again? Because I swear to god-"

"It wasn't her," Caleb interrupted, shaking his head, "It was Lewis."

"Lewis?" Hanna asked, a little surprised, "As in her best friend?"

"Apparently he's more than that now," Caleb shrugged as he led Hanna into the living room, and they sat down on the couch, "They've been dating for a while."

"I thought they might have been," Hanna mused, "He's been over here a lot, lately."

"Me too," Caleb agreed, "But apparently they had some big fight over Lewis not spending enough time with her, and now they're not speaking."

"Huh, so what did advice did you give her?" Hanna enquired with a slight smile, curious as to how Caleb had handled the situation.

"I uh," He cleared his throat, "Well, I was gonna tell her not to worry, you know, plenty more fish in the sea and all that," Hanna nodded, signalling for him to go on, "But then I thought of you."

"What _about_ me?" Hanna raised an eyebrow, a little confused, but interested to see where he was going with this.

Caleb just smiled at her for a moment, seemingly thinking about something, before he spoke. "About how I knew I was going to marry you the day I met you. About how I could never imagine being with anyone else, and how even after every single one of those breakups, I knew we'd find our way back to one another."

"Hm," Hanna mused, "Even the three-year-long one?"

"Yeah," Caleb nodded, reaching over to take her hand in his, "As soon as I came back, and I saw your face in person again, and I heard your voice, I knew that it wasn't going to be long before we were _us_ again. You still looked at me the same way that you always had."

Hanna blushed at his words and bit her bottom lip, before leaning over to press a quick kiss to his mouth. "And what did Islee say to all of this?"

"She thought it was cute, and said she felt the same about Lewis," He mumbled, "Which is kinda crazy, I mean she's only fifteen-"

"Caleb," Hanna scolded him, "We were only sixteen when we met."

"That's exactly what she said," He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "But anyway, that's when we started looking at the photos of you and I. I think they made her feel better, you know."

Hanna licked her lips before shuffling closer to Caleb on the couch; she rested her head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You're such a good dad, you know that right?" She murmured against him as his hand began to rub up and down the top of her arm, "Islee loves you so much."

Caleb simply smiled to himself in response; after the upbringing that he'd had, he'd never imagined that he would hear those words coming from somebody else in such a truthful manner.

Caleb Rivers was a good father.

And in that moment, that meant more to him than anything else ever could.

* * *

 **And that's part three! Hope you all enjoyed – the next chapter will centre around Caleb and a twenty-five-year-old Isla. As always, reviews are very much appreciated, and let me know in a review if you'd like a preview of part four x**


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